Customer Reviews

The IVP Atlas of Bible History

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Every Christian library needs good pictorial reference works explaining Bible geography and history. This volume is a large-size hardback with remarkable color illustrations and photographs. The presentation is traced chronologically through the Bible, and is not limited to Palestine, because forty percent of Bible history occurs outside this area. The history begins with creation and travels all the way through the spread of Christianity.

Showing the interaction between history, geography, and theology, the editors interweave charts, maps, photographs, and items from archaeology into a user-friendly resource that both teaches and delights. The text gets right to the point in explaining the historical events.

There are numerous pictures of familiar sites that have been shot with fresh camera angles, giving visual delight to well-known places. All told, there are 100 maps, 20 panoramic reconstructions, and 140 photographs.
This volume is sure to be used and enjoyed, and in so doing, Biblical history will come alive for the reader.

Highly recommended.

I bought this book for a class I was taking in Biblical Archeology and Geography and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The author clearly knows his material. The book is filled with facts and summaries not only of the Bible, but other belief systems of that time as well. The pictures, maps, and graphs included within the book give you a glimpse of what life may have been like for the people of the Ancient Near Eastern countries. This is an educational book without that boring feeling that you are stuck in a history class!

This atlas takes a narrative approach and uses information from history, geography and archaeology from a span of some 2,000 years. Nearly 100 maps (using both miles and kilometers) and over 100 photographs, plus site plans and reconstructions are included.

All of Biblical history from Abraham to the spread of Christianity and topics from creation to the Book of Revelation are covered.

What I especially like about this atlas is that specific topics (e.g.. "United Israelite Monarchy") are generally treated on facing pages. Thus, it is not necessary to flip pages to consult the maps, photos, biblical references, and sometimes site reconstructions that are essential elements of the topic being treated. Likewise, the biblical references are, for the most part, grouped together in a box labeled "Key" on one of the two pages.

In summation, this atlas is very informative or user-friendly. Even if you have an atlas, this would be a good addition to your collection!

This atlas is an invaluable resource for any serious study of the bible. Care in incorporating the latest scholarship along with large full color topographical maps, chronological charts and brilliant pictures bring the geography and historicity of bible to life. If you thought atlases were just about maps, you are mistaken. 3D cutout of battlefield terrain, satellite maps, breathtaking aerial photographs, archeological schematics and artist renditions of cities all add valuable visual input and vastly enhances the geographical perspective in the study of the bible. Organized to be read alongside Genesis to Revelation, it also has a substantial section covering the Intertestamental developments as well. Not a coffee table book but valuable tool in any student, pastor or bible teacher's library.

Beautiful photos and descriptions! You'll pick up this book over and over again to see for yourself, for research or just to show family and friends. This book will stay on your coffee table...mine does!

I found the book to be quite beautiful. The maps are high-quality, and the photographs are typically appropriate and instructive.

The problem I have with the book is that it accepts prima-facie various biblical account without consistently applying geologic, archaeological or historic evidence. For example, in the chapter about The Flood (of Noah), the book says that archaeological evidence does not support a global flood, and that "Perhaps we are to look for the flood in an era of greater antiquity, and in the geological rather than archaeological record." However, they do not then go into said record, nor do they discuss the dates (e.g. millions of years) appropriate to such geological investigations.

Similarly, the authors accept as factual the existence of Moses and Abraham, while citing virtually no archaeological or historic proofs other than Biblical references.

In a subsequent chapter on "Nations and Languages", the authors say that the lack of similarities between the 10 or so global language groups shows that, "the Tower of Babel is at least an explanation of why there are, surprisingly, so few clear similarities between [these language groups]." The use of the word "explanation" is bothersome. Certainly Babel is a hypothesis, but the authors do not talk about any investigations into said hypothesis.

These are two examples of how the book fails to dig deeply enough, both literally and figuratively, to present consensus archaeological or anthropological evidence - especially when said evidence contradicts the Bible, but also when it simply fails to support the text.

The general lack of scholarly thoroughness, blithely hypothesized loose ends and general acceptance of Bible accounts as literally true significantly erodes the value of the book. As a picture-book and atlas it is lovely and instructive. However, in no way should it be viewed as a scholarly summary of actual history, geology, archaeology or even Biblical analysis.